The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific
progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and cooperative
agreements for research and education in the sciences, mathematics, and
engineering.

To get the latest information about program deadlines,
to download copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards,
visit the NSF Web Site at:

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION

Program Title: Interagency Education Research Initiative (IERI)

Synopsis of Program:

The goal of the IERI is to improve preK-12 student learning and achievement
in reading, mathematics, and science by supporting rigorous, interdisciplinary
research on large-scale implementations of promising educational practices
and technologies in complex and varied learning environments. To this end,
the Initiative will support an evolving, cumulative, and integrated portfolio
of research projects that, when taken together, will provide a substantive
corpus of effective instructional practices and a body of knowledge that
informs the ways in which these practices can be implemented in real, complex,
and varied educational environments and lead to enhanced student learning.

An important feature of the Initiative is that all IERI-supported projects
will share common benchmarks that will facilitate the accumulation of reliable
and valid data to ensure that the lessons learned can be generalized in
an optimal fashion. As such, only those projects that meet high standards
of methodological rigor, are of sufficient scale, integrate technology,
and are conducted by interdisciplinary teams will be funded.

AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

I. INTRODUCTION

The Interagency Education Research Initiative (IERI) was spurred by the
1997 publication of the President’s Committee of Advisors for Science and
Technology (PCAST) Report to the President on the Use of Technology
to Strengthen K-12 Education in the United States. The report’s key
recommendation was:

''..that the federal government dramatically increase its investment
in research aimed at discovering what actually works, not only with respect
to educational technology, but in the field of elementary and secondary
education in general. Less than 0.1 percent of our nation's expenditures
for elementary and secondary education in 1995 were invested to determine
which educational techniques actually work, and to find ways to improve
them"

While educational research has provided some important insights into
student learning in reading, mathematics, and science, as well as teacher
develoment and teaching strategies and technologies that enhance achievement
in these subjects, the research, as a whole, has lacked a convergent knowledge
base that can inform systemic reform in a consistent and meaningful way.
The limited use of educational R&D for improving practice can be attributed
in large part to under-investment in R&D and the consequent fragmentation
of the current research effort (see the 1999 National Research Council
Report, How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice, http://www.nap.edu).
Further, when knowledge has accumulated — as in the case of literacy development
in young children — incorporating that knowledge into tangible tools and
procedures for those responsible for educating our students in complex
classroom situations has proven exceedingly difficult (see the 1998 National
Research Council Report, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children
and the 1999 National Research Council Report, Improving Student Learning:
A Strategic Plan for Education Research and Its Utilization, http://www.nap.edu)

Advances in education will depend on vigorous and sustained research
and development. State and local policymakers, as well as school-level
administrators, are clamoring for information on how to implement changes—particularly
technology-based ones—that lead to increased and sustained student learning.
The intent of the IERI is to enable educators to meet the challenges of
educational improvement by providing scientifically-based knowledge and
skills that lead to sustainable learning changes across diverse student
populations.

IERI was developed by an interagency team that includes the National
Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Education's Office of Educational
Research and Improvement (OERI) and the National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development (NICHD). The purpose of IERI is to support rigorous,
interdisciplinary research in addressing the urgent challenges of educational
reform. The Initiative aims to maximize the relevance and integration of
education research with practice by encouraging collaborations among researchers
and practitioners. The work of this Initiative is intended to benefit all
students—those with differing strengths and those from diverse cultural
backgrounds.

PROGRAM GOAL

The goal of the IERI is to improve preK-12 student learning and achievement
in reading, mathematics, and science by supporting rigorous, interdisciplinary
research on large-scale implementations of promising educational practices
and technologies in complex and varied learning environments.

IERI supports work that is attentive to the context in which educators
do their work, pushing beyond controlled laboratory studies to ensure adaptability
to classrooms in complex environments. Research conducted on a scale that
allows for a careful examination of how characteristics within a variety
of educational systems interact to facilitate learning—under differing
conditions and for diverse students – will help accelerate its successful
adoption in a wide range of schools. Some research activities will be ready
to move to this scale immediately. Others may require a planning grant
to set the stage for rigorous research at a larger scale. Both are eligible
for IERI support.

An important feature is that all IERI projects will share common characteristics
(see section on "Benchmarks") that facilitate the accumulation of reliable
and valid data to ensure optimal generalization across diverse educational
settings. Therefore, only those projects that meet high standards of methodological
rigor, are of sufficient scale, integrate technology, and are conducted
by interdisciplinary research teams will be funded.

Although basic research under controlled laboratory conditions or similarly
controlled classroom settings will not be supported under the IERI, such
research will be considered for funding if: a) it is designed within the
larger IERI context of studying innovative approaches to teaching reading,
mathematics and science; or b) it has the potential for providing results
that directly inform our understanding of student achievement in these
domains under IERI classroom conditions. Additionally, applicants are invited
to take an existing body of research knowledge to the next level of investigation
through efforts to extend such findings to complex educational settings.

Background information on this initiative can be found at the web site:
http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/rec/IERI. Potential applicants are strongly
encouraged to review these materials.

IERI’s Focus Area I is concerned with the acquisition of foundational
skills in reading, mathematics, and science in pre-K through grade school,
assessment of readiness for learning in these domains, research on measures
for determining the achievement of proficiency, and investigation of the
role of teacher learning and performance on student learning and achievement.

Although the specific areas of emphasis (reading, mathematics and science)
are treated separately in the following descriptions, applicants should
bear in mind that proposals that integrate these domains are acceptable
and encouraged under the IERI. The rationale for this integration is that
in the early grades, one teacher is frequently responsible for instruction
across these three areas for all children in a given classroom. In addition,
successful acquisition of foundational mathematical and scientific concepts
clearly requires mastery of literacy skills (e.g., reading comprehension).
As such, research proposals are invited that illuminate how the integration
of instructional strategies in these domains may enhance student achievement.

Reading

One major focus of the IERI is to identify and implement in complex
and varied educational environments the instructional conditions under
which children develop highly-integrated reading skills resulting in optimal
reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. While more focused, basic
research efforts underscore the importance of several factors in learning
to read (e.g., phonemic awareness, word level reading skills, automaticity,
comprehension strategies, motivation), how best to foster these attributes
and abilities in complex instructional settings and with children who vary
in cognitive, linguistic, and academic development is not yet fully understood.
Consequently, it is anticipated that planning grant and research study
proposals submitted in response to this solicitation will contribute knowledge
regarding instructional practices and related educational policy issues,
as exemplified by the following illustrative questions:

How can instructional practices in reading found to be effective in smaller,
relatively controlled environments be implemented successfully by a wide
variety of teachers in complex educational settings?

What knowledge about reading processes and instructional strategies must
teachers possess in order to promote maximum growth in students’ reading
skills? How does this knowledge translate into greater student learning?
How can these practices be scaled beyond individual teachers or small cohorts
of teachers?

For students at-risk for reading failure, which intervention strategies,
alone or in combination, provided in which settings (e.g., one-on-one tutorial,
small-group, classroom, computer-based, etc.) and which venues (e.g., in-school,
after school, weekend, summer) provide optimal sustainable growth in reading
skills?

How can computer and information technologies be used for enhancing the
scalability, implementation, evaluation and sustainability of instructional
approaches for improving early reading skills in the context of complex
educational environments beyond a single or small numbers of classrooms?
What new instructional methods or strategies are made possible with computer
and information technologies?

Mathematics and Science

It is generally acknowledged that the existing knowledge bases on students’
acquisition of mathematical and scientific concepts is neither as complete
nor robust as the corpus of findings in the area of reading. No doubt this
is due at least in part to the comparatively wide range of topics encompassed
by mathematics curricula in grades pre-K through 6. Furthermore, there
is mounting evidence that teachers themselves frequently lack a thorough
understanding of the fundamental concepts in these domains that is clearly
necessary for being able to apply or design effective instructional strategies.

Planning grant and research study proposals within this area of emphasis
should contribute knowledge bearing on relevant instructional practices
and related policy issues, as expressed by the following illustrative questions:

What kinds of assessment techniques are needed to determine the mathematic
and scientific knowledge and skills that young children bring to school
and acquire in the early grades? What new assessment techniques are now
possible due to computer and information technologies (e.g., using simulations)
and how effectively do they measure the development of knowledge and skills
in mathematics and science?

What content and pedagogical knowledge must teachers possess about mathematics
and science in order to promote and assess maximum growth in student learning
and achievement in these areas? How does this knowledge translate into
greater student learning? How can these practices be scaled beyond individual
teachers or small cohorts of teachers?

What instructional practices are most effective for helping children to
understand foundational mathematical and scientific concepts?

How can computer and information technologies be used for enhancing the
scalability, implementation, evaluation and sustainability of instructional
approaches for improving mathematics and science learning in the context
of complex educational environments beyond a single or small number of
classrooms? What new instructional methods or strategies are made possible
with computer and information technologies?

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (http://nces.ed.gov/timss/)
reveals that students in the United States master fundamental skills and
knowledge of mathematics and science during their elementary school years
at the same rate as their international peers. These studies, however,
point out that U.S. students are less likely to master and/or be taught
more complex and conceptually difficult material during their middle and
high school years, resulting in a downward trend in achievement as U.S.
students move through school relative to students from other countries.
More empirical work is needed to develop and scale up educational programs
and practices that increase students’ understanding of complex ideas in
mathematics and science as they move through school. This work is especially
important, as higher levels of mathematical and scientific knowledge and
problem solving skills are required for both higher education and the workplace.

The quality of the teaching force is at the core of any successful effort
to improve student learning in science and mathematics. More needs to be
known about how to prepare teachers in mathematics and science education,
as well as how to support teachers as they develop and hone their knowledge
and skills throughout their careers.

Planning grant and research study proposals within this area of emphasis
should contribute knowledge bearing on relevant instructional practices
and related policy issues, as expressed by the following illustrative questions:

What are the learning processes by which students move from basic mathematics
to more complex mathematics, such as algebra and geometry? How do students
integrate these learning experiences?

How can students integrate the learning of mathematics and science in order
to use mathematics effectively in various scientific domains?

How do students learn to integrate the subject matter they learn during
their school years? How do they learn to think across different subject
areas?

What are successful ways of promoting skills of scientific inquiry for
school-age children?

What content, student cognitive assessment, and pedagogical knowledge do
teachers require in order to be effective? What facilitates conceptual
change and greater expertise in teachers' own understanding of mathematical
and scientific concepts? What are the learning processes by which teachers
become experts in scientific areas?

How can computer and information technologies be used to enhance students’complex
learning? Which approaches promote greater depth of understanding in students?
How can these technologies be implemented in complex educational environments
beyond a single or small number of classrooms? What new instructional methods
or strategies are made possible with computer and information technologies?

BENCHMARKS

Research in education is made especially challenging by the complexities
of designing experiments that establish cause and effect relationships
between educational inputs and student and teacher outputs; difficulties
with implementing random assignment protocols in real world educational
settings; the small effects that most isolated controllable variables have
on outcomes; the challenges of linking scientific principles grounded in
biology, neuroscience, developmental science or cognitive science to educational
practice; the high costs of large-scale intervention studies; and the general
inability to extrapolate from small population studies of educational effectiveness
to effectiveness for large populations.

The IERI encourages proposals that address the above challenges in the
context of the two focus areas described above. As such, each research
study proposal must satisfactorily address all of the following benchmarks.
Proposals that have merit but do not meet these benchmarks may be offered
planning grants or recommended for resubmission under other competitions
supported by the three partner agencies. Planning grant applications must
contain a clear rationale for the proposed work as a necessary step toward
the submission of a research study proposal or the advancement of knowledge
in a chosen field of study.

Research Methodology: In order to achieve the goal of the IERI,
research proposals must address issues of student learning and achievement
by employing research and measurement designs that are demonstrably valid
and reliable. Experimental and quasi-experimental designs are encouraged,
especially those employing random assignment. For applicants examining
systemic changes where experimental manipulation is difficult, applicants
are encouraged to propose inventive solutions, including using research
designs and methodologies from other disciplines and areas of research
such as public health.

Longitudinal instructional/intervention studies are clearly relevant
to describing the amount and rate of student learning over time and in
determining the generalization and maintenance of learning over time and
across settings. Valid measurement of change over time is critical to much
of the research solicited by this Program Solicitation, as the goal of
the IERI is to improve student achievement. If instructional or curricular
intervention studies are proposed, applicants should employ robust procedures
for separating intervention effects from the effects of development in
general. The use of growth curve models and longitudinal data are encouraged,
as is the collection of sufficient data prior to, during, and following
the intervention study to allow for estimation of change-over-time.

The application of qualitative research methodologies and measures is
also encouraged (e.g., interviews with students, teachers, parents and
administrators, teacher logs, analysis of teacher’s daily plans, videotaping
and coding of instructional interactions). Applicants are encouraged to
combine quantitative and qualitative methods to optimize the validity and
applicability of their findings.

Although different types of research strategies may be proposed for
any given application, each supported project must meet the following:

1) the proposed objectives, methodologies, and research settings or
contexts must be consistent with the goal of the Initiative. Most importantly,
the applicant must articulate how the results of the proposed research
can contribute directly to our understanding of efficacious approaches
for implementing scalable and sustainable educational interventions;

2) the applicant must make clear how the proposed research program builds
upon and integrates existing converging evidence obtained from relevant
prior research, including more basic research studies as it seeks to implement
scalable and sustainable educational interventions. Although new knowledge
of basic learning and instructional processes is not in itself an IERI
goal, it is expected that new knowledge of the conditions under which basic
research is effectively translated into practice within diverse school
systems and classroom environments will evolve from the projects;

3) the applicant must rigorously define the sample selected for study
so that complete and independent replication can be accomplished. Specifically,
all participants selected for study should be defined with reference to
age, grade level, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, immigrant/migrant
status, and any other relevant characteristics. If sampling is employed,
both the sampling method and the level of sampling (e.g., student, teacher,
school, district, state) must be specified. For studies employing control
or comparison group designs, the applicant must specify how participants
for this group will be selected, and how comparability with the intervention
group will be established and maintained over time. For longitudinal studies,
the applicant must make clear how attrition within and across different
groups will be handled;

4) the applicant must supply information on the reliability, validity,
and appropriateness of proposed measures. If the reliability and validity
of the measurement/assessment/observational procedures are initially unknown,
the applicant must include specific plans for establishing these measurement
properties;

5) the applicant must provide a detailed research design and/or statistical
analysis plan, including details on how potential threats to internal and
external validity will be addressed and a power analysis demonstrating
the adequacy of proposed cell sizes. For intervention studies, the applicant
must specify how the implementation of the intervention will be documented
and measured, and how the fidelity of the intervention will be maintained
across multiple classrooms/schools/sites over time. If applicable, the
applicant must specify how individual student and teacher differences will
be measured and analyzed over time.

Scalability: In order to be considered for funding under the
IERI, the theoretical underpinnings, causal model and any relevant preliminary
evidence of effectiveness for a proposed practice, intervention or technological
innovation must be established in the proposal. Proposals will need to
summarize both the current knowledge base and problems with implementing
this knowledge in school settings. Proposals must include explicit justifications
for their scaling-up plans, outlining how this line of research will advance
efforts to translate knowledge into practice.

It is expected that the scale of the research will allow researchers
to address questions regarding implementation and fidelity, effectiveness,
individual differences (e.g., students, teachers, schools), and environmental
and policy factors (e.g., class size). Research may be done in conjunction
with new or ongoing demonstration programs, including those funded by one
or more of the three agencies. All applicants must provide evidence (e.g.,
letters of support, citations from previous collaborative research) that
they have the necessary agreements in place to conduct their proposed study.

Empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of an innovative curriculum
or technology means little if these cannot be implemented and sustained
in diverse classroom environments. At every level of scalability researchers
need to study and document issues regarding training, implementation, and
fidelity, as well as conduct follow-up checks to examine how effective
educational innovations are sustained or evolve in consistent ways over
time and the variables that are necessary for this to occur.

Technology: Technology encompasses a variety of electronic tools,
media, and environments that can be used to enhance student learning, foster
creativity, stimulate communication and collaboration among teachers and
students, and engage in the continuous development and application of knowledge
and skills. Technology may be proposed as a tool, device or environment
for implementing and/or evaluating specific learning/instructional approaches
and strategies. It may be used for enhancing the effects and efficiency
of already proven methods or strategies in traditional settings or to develop
new educational methods or strategies that are possible with technology.
Technology also may be used as a management tool in implementing proposed
studies. Proposals that concentrate solely on technology without addressing
educational issues and questions relevant to the basic requirements of
this Initiative will not be appropriate for submission.

Interdisciplinary Research Teams: Due to the complexity of the
subject matter and the environments in which educational research and practice
take place, interdisciplinary research teams will be necessary, bringing
a wide variety of knowledge and methodologies to bear on the problems associated
with conducting and integrating research in educational settings. Collaborations
across disciplines (e.g., information technologists, organizational scientists,
economists, psychometricians, mathematicians, statisticians, educational
researchers, cognitive scientists, developmental psychologists, disciplinary
scientists, and practitioners) are required. Qualitative and quantitative
researchers from various fields are expected to enrich both the research
designs and the methodologies proposed for applications under this Initiative.
Applicants must ensure, in meaningful ways, continual input and interaction
with those disciplines that are relevant not only to the immediate program
of work but also to its eventual application. Of particular importance
to the review process will be the linkage to policy and practice from the
earliest stages of the project.

Because the IERI is a long-term initiative oriented toward specific
educational issues, the coordination of research projects is particularly
important. Principal investigators will be asked to meet at least twice
each year with agency staff and consultants to review results within their
areas, discuss methodologies, and identify promising avenues for future
research efforts. Where interventions are studied, investigators will be
asked to develop and use a core of common methodologies, instruments, and
data analysis procedures to facilitate the synthesis of research findings
across projects.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Proposals may be submitted by individual investigators or by small groups
of investigators from colleges, universities or other non-profit organizations
including local and state agencies. Proposed interdisciplinary research
teams should reflect synergistic collaborations among researchers and practitioners.
Collaboration or partnership with industry or government laboratories is
encouraged when appropriate. A principal investigator may submit only one
proposal and he/she may collaborate in one other proposal. Group and collaborative
proposals involving more than one institution must be submitted as a single
administrative package from the primary institution. Proposals from new
researchers, new interdisciplinary research teams within and across academic
departments, universities and other research entities, and new partnerships
between research institutions and school systems are encouraged. Prospective
applicants are strongly urged to contact one of the program officers listed
at the end of this document for guidance.

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

Under this Program Solicitation, the three partner agencies solicit proposals
for planning grants and research study grants. Funding for planning grants
will be for a maximum of $100,000 for up to 12 months; funding for research
study grants will typically be for up to $6 million for the life of the
award (up to 60 months). Proposals submitted for research study grants
that do not meet one or more of the benchmarks but are judged to have merit
may be offered a planning grant so that further development work can be
conducted prior to re-submission. Pending the availability of funds for
both FY 2000 and FY 2001, the total funds available under this Initiative
in FY2000 (the first award date) will be $38 million, with $25 million
from NSF, $10 million from OERI, and $3 million from NICHD. The total funds
available under this Initiative in FY2001 (the second award date) are projected
to be $48 million. Awards will be made for planning grants and research
study grants. Awards will be made through one of the three agencies and
PIs must be willing to accept the award conditions from whichever of the
three agencies makes the award. In particular, the human subjects certifications
must conform to all three agencies requirements.

Planning grants will be funded for a variety of activities, including,
but not limited to one or more of the following:

- development of an interdisciplinary research team across academic
departments, universities and/or other research institutions;

- development of partnerships with school systems, school boards, teacher
unions, local, county or state offices or other entities that are necessary
to implement school-based large scale intervention studies;

- development of interdisciplinary meetings or workshops to review research
methodologies and findings within a given subject area or field to produce
a coherent distillation and synthesis of knowledge for that area of study;

- development of plans for a data collection center (DCC) that would
coordinate measurement instruments, facilitate research design planning
and problem-solving, and coordinate the analysis of data from multiple
projects within a designated subject area; and provide assistance in dissemination
and utilization of research project results;

Research study grants will be made for projects that address one of
the focus areas and meet the benchmarks outlined in this Program Solicitation.
Additionally, PIs may submit collaborative proposals (see the NSF Grant
Policy Guide, NSF 00-2) for research involving collaborations between institutions.

Standard, continuation, and cooperative agreement grant award mechanisms
may be utilized under this Program Solicitation.

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should
be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained
in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) (NSF 00-2). The complete text
of the GPG (including electronic forms) is available electronically on
the NSF Web Site at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf002/start.htm.
Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse,
telephone 301.947.2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

Prospective applicants are required to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI). The
LOI should be submitted by email by April 19, 2000 or October 2, 2000 or April
20, 2001 to ieri@nsf.gov. The letter should be one page in length and must identify
the PI and known co-PIs, the institution affiliations of the PI and the co-PIs,
expected budget request, and a brief description of the proposed project. Program
staff from the three agencies will review the Letters of Intent. Although LOIs
are required, they are not binding, and will not be used in proposal evaluation.
Information contained in the Letters will allow staff from the three agencies
to provide preliminary feedback regarding the appropriateness of the proposed
research for the IERI, to estimate the potential review workload, and to avoid
conflict of interest in the review process. The Letters of Intent will be acknowledged
by email and/or telephone calls from federal project officers from one or more
of the three participating agencies. Review of the LOIs and communication back
to the applicant may take as long as three weeks.

Proposers are reminded to identify the program solicitation number (NSF-00-74)
in the program solicitation/solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet
(NSF Form 1207). Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining
the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information
may delay processing.

B. Deadline/Target Dates

Letters of Intent submitted in response to this solicitation must be submitted
by 5:00 PM, local time, 4/19/00 or 10/02/01 or 4/20/01

Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation must be submitted by 5:00
PM, local time, 6/09/00 or 2/2/01 or 6/18/01.

C. FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this
Program Solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions
for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at:
https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm.

Submission of Signed Cover Sheets. The signed copy of the proposal
Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) must be postmarked (or contain a legible proof
of mailing date assigned by the carrier) within five working days following
proposal submission and be forwarded to the following address:

VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with expertise
in the substantive area of the proposed research or education project. These
reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the oversight of the
review process. NSF invites the proposer to suggest at the time of submission,
the names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers. Care is taken to ensure
that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposer. Special efforts are made
to recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority-serving institutions,
or adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal.

Proposals will be reviewed against the following general review criteria
established by the National Science Board. Following each criterion are potential
considerations that the reviewer may employ in the evaluation. These are suggestions
and not all will apply to any given proposal. Each reviewer will be asked
to address only those that are relevant to the proposal and for which he/she
is qualified to make judgements.

What is the intellectual merit of the proposed
activity?

How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding
within its own field or across different fields? How well qualified is the
proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If appropriate, the
reviewer will comment on the quality of the prior work.) To what extent does
the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts?
How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient
access to resources?

What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting
teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden
the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability,
geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research
and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?
Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological
understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

Principal Investigators should address the following elements in their
proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond fully
to both of the above-described NSF merit review criteria. NSF staff will give
these elements careful consideration in making funding decisions.

Integration of Research and Education

One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster
integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and
activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions
provide abundant opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities
as researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in joint
efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and enrich
research through the diversity of learning perspectives.

Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities

Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens
- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities
- is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF
is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs,
projects, and activities it considers and supports.

Criteria Specific to IERI

The IERI is intended to foster synergistic research that addresses the
goal of developing an empirical knowledge base for enhancing student achievement
through improved educational practices. Towards that end, priority will be
given to IERI applications that:

Meaningfully address one of the two focus areas.

Propose a research methodology that satisfies the criteria for rigor
outlined in the first benchmark.

Propose a project of sufficient scale to meet the criteria for scalability
outlined in the second benchmark. Applicants must demonstrate that the academic
partnerships and partnerships with participating school systems are sufficently
developed to carry out the proposed research activities.

Propose a usage or usages of educational technology that satisfies the
criteria outlined in the third benchmark.

Propose an interdisciplinary research team that meets the criteria outlined
in the fourth benchmark. Applicants must provide sufficient evidence that
the individuals proposed are qualified for their specified roles.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and signed
by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents.
Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, are mailed
to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Director. In
addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award
or decline funding.

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer
Service Standard

All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside
the funding agencies who are experts in the particular field represented by
the proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation will be
reviewed by mail and/or panel review.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support
or decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's
review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

NSF will be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined
or recommended for funding within six months for 95 percent of proposals.
The time interval begins on the proposal deadline or target date or from the
date of receipt, if deadlines or target dates are not used by the program.
The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's
recommendation.

In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals
recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements
for review of business, financial, and policy implications and the processing
and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only
a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards
on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the
part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with
a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes
financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative
agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at its own
risk.

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization
by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations
whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by
the cognizant NSF Program or Division administering the program. Verbatim
copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be
provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See Section VI.
A, for additional information on the review process).

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special
provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto;
(2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense,
on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific
approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced
in the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant
General Conditions (NSF-GC-1)* or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP)
Terms and Conditions * and (5) any NSF brochure, program guide, solicitation
or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award
letter. Cooperative agreement awards also are administered in accordance
with NSF Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic
mail notification is the preferred way to transmit NSF awards to organizations
that have electronic mail capabilities and have requested such notification
from the Division of Grants and Agreements.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in
the NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, (NSF 95-26) available
electronically on the NSF web site at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm.
The GPM is also for sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government
Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO
for subscription information is 202.512.1800. The GPM may be ordered through
the GPO web site at http://www.gpo.gov.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants),
the PI must submit an annual progress report to the cognizant Program Officer
at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period.

Grantees will be required to participate in bi-annual PI meetings. Proposal
budgets should reflect travel costs for two or three participants to travel
to Washington, DC for two meetings a year.

Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is required
to submit a final project report. Approximately 30 days before expiration,
NSF will send a notice to remind the PI of the requirement to file the
final project report. Failure to provide final technical reports delays
NSF review and processing of pending proposals for that PI. PIs should
examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability
of required data.

NSF has implemented an electronic project reporting system, available through
FastLane. This system permits electronic submission and updating of project
reports, including information on: project participants (individual and
organizational); activities and findings; publications; and other specific
products and contributions. PIs will not be required to re-enter information
previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier updates using
the electronic system.

IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and
education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to Programs
is available electronically at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp.
General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information
for proposal submission are provided in each chapter.

Many
NSF programs offer solicitations concerning specific proposal requirements.
To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the
appropriate NSF program offices listed in Appendix A of the GPG. Any changes
in NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide
to Programs will be announced in the NSF Bulletin, available monthly (except
July and August), and in individual program solicitations. The Bulletin
is available electronically via the NSF web site at http://www.nsf.gov.
Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service (http://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm)
to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available.

The following programs may be of interest to potential IERI proposers.
Information on NSF guidelines can be obtained from http://www.nsf.gov.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most
fields of science and engineering. Awardees are wholly responsible for
conducting their project activities and preparing the results for publication.
Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such findings or
their interpretation.

NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators.
The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities
to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with Federal statutes,
regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age,
sex, national origin or disability shall be excluded from participation
in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under
any program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF (unless
otherwise specified in the eligibility requirements for a particular program).

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED)
provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with
disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research
assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the program solicitation
or contact the program coordinator at (703) 306-1636.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD)
and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals
with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs,
employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 306-0090,
FIRS at 1-800-877-8339.

The National Science Foundation is committed to making all of the information
we publish easy to understand. If you have a suggestion about how to improve
the clarity of this document or other NSF-published materials, please contact
us at plainlanguage@nsf.gov.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The U.S. Department of Education’s mission is to:

Strengthen the Federal commitment to assuring access to equal educational
opportunity for every individual;

Supplement and complement the efforts of states, the local school systems
and other instrumentalities of the states, the private sector, public and
private nonprofit educational research institutions, community-based organizations,
parents, and students to improve the quality of education;

Encourage the increased involvement in the quality and usefulness of education
through Federally supported research, evaluation, and sharing of information;

Improve the coordination of Federal education programs;

Improve the management of Federal education activities; and

Increase the accountability of Federal education programs to the President,
the Congress, and the public.

Within the Department of Education, the Office of Educational Research
and Improvement (OERI) provides national leadership for educational research
and statistics. OERI strives to promote excellence and equity in American
education by:

Conducting research and demonstration projects funded through grants to
help improve education;

Collecting statistics on the status and progress of schools and education
throughout the nation; and

Distributing information and providing technical assistance to those working
to improve education.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
seeks to assure that every individual is born healthy, is born wanted,
and has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential for a healthy and
productive life unhampered by disease or disability. In pursuit of this
mission, the NICHD conducts and supports laboratory, clinical, and epidemiological
research on the reproductive, neurobiologic, developmental, and behavioral
processes that determine and maintain the health of children, adults, families,
and populations.

The NICHD Administers a multidisciplinary program of research, research
training, and public information, nationally and within its own facilities,
on reproductive biology and population issues; on prenatal development
as well as maternal, child and family health; and on medical rehabilitation.
Institute Programs are based on the concepts that adult health and well-being
are determined in large part by episodes early in life, that human development
is continuous throughout life, and that the reproductive processes and
the management of fertility are of major concern, not only to the individual,
but to society.

NICHD research is also directed toward restoring or maximizing individual
potential and functional capacity when disease, injury, or a chronic disorder
intervenes in the developmental process.

The Institute supports and conducts basic, clinical, and epidemiological
research in the reproductive sciences to develop knowledge enabling men
and women to regulate their fertility in ways that are safe, effective
and acceptable to various population groups, and to overcome problems of
infertility.

The purposes of Institute sponsored behavioral and social sciences research
in the population field are to understand the causes and consequences of
reproductive behavior and population change. Research for mothers, children,
and families is designed to advance knowledge of pregnancy, fetal development,
and birth; to develop strategies to prevent infant and child mortality;
to identify and promote the prerequisites of optimal physical, mental,
and behavioral growth and development through infancy, childhood, and adolescence;
and to contribute to the prevention and amelioration of mental retardation
and developmental disabilities. Much of this research focuses on the disciplines
of cellular, molecular, and developmental biology to elucidate the mechanisms
and interactions that guide a single fertilized egg cell through its development
into a multicellular, highly organized adult organism. Research in medical
rehabilitation is designed to develop improved techniques and technologies
with respect to the rehabilitation of individuals with physical disabilities
resulting from diseases, disorders, injuries, or birth defects.

Research training is an area supported across all NICHD research programs,
with the intent of adding to the cadre of trained professionals available
to conduct research in areas of critical public health concern. An overarching
responsibility of the NICHD is to disseminate information emanating from
the Institute research programs to researchers, practitioners and other
health professionals, and to the general public.

PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited
under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as
amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with
the selection of qualified proposals; project reports submitted by awardees
will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive
Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified
reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process;
to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding
the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of
awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers
and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government
agencies needing information as part of the review process or in order
to coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or party in
a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party.
Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer
file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers
or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal
Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register
267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated
Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). Submission of the
information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information,
however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and
a person is not required to respond to an information collection unless
it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this
collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the
time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate
and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions
for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer,
Information Dissemination Branch, Division of Administrative Services,
National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230, or to Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National Science
Foundation (3145-0058), 725 - 17th Street, N.W. Room 10235, Washington,
D.C. 20503.